Công's Reflective Journal

In this last module, we were assigned a project and worked as a team of three. We had to conduct action research to improve a class using technological aid. This last reflective chapter also includes some thoughts about the course in general. To be honest, I did not know what action research was prior to this course although I had learned research methods and written a thesis in my undergrad years. After reading about action research, I was intrigued and became more curious. Thanks to Dr. Huong's template, I could visualise what the final product should look like. Currently, we are attending the 'Action Research' course in the postgraduate program, and I can reflect on everything about the final project more clearly. I am grateful that the ICT course allowed us to try to carry out action research to have the big picture before delving into it in the susequent course. I believe that action research will become the most useful type in my future career as I want to explore the...

This is the last module before the end-of-course assignment, but I still find as many interesting insights as the first lessons. I learned about flipped learning, the different models of flipped classrooms, and valuable tools for this type of classroom. Prior to the lesson, I had some experience in flipped learning. In my undergraduate program, several lecturers have applied some types of flipped learning. Some lecturers applied the Micro Flipped Classroom where some easy parts of the lesson are instructed to watch at home, and the harder ones are taught in class. The type that I am familiar with the most is Group-Based Flipped Classroom where students, after learning the materials at home, discuss in groups to finish an assignment in class. Since my university, ULIS, encourages group work and collaborative skills, this type of flipped learning is common among my lecturers. In a flipped learning classroom. students can and should access materials, often in the form of videos, ...

In Module 5, we had a chance to explore alternative assessments and project-based learning. These aspects help shift the classroom into a modern, student-centered class. When teachers apply and encourage project learning, students can develop original thoughts and teamwork skills. Alternative assessments can help evaluate students in different forms of testing, such as portfolios and presentations. Similarly, it can promote peer review and self-assessments. These are the two most important aspects of evaluation that teachers should promote. However, actually applying alternative assessments and project-based learning can bring some difficulties. First and foremost is the time-consuming effort needed to develop a practical rubric and challenging yet meaningful, project-based learning. The reading given by the lecturer and my peers' insights in the discussion thread gave me some information I needed to counter the difficulty (to some extent). The rubrics have to be be detailed, and t...

This week provided me a productive and informative time. I learned more about CALL (Computer-assisted language learning) and applied it to teach writing and reading skills.  My students are taught to write and read a paper. Since early grades, that is what they are used to. However, they asked me to teach them how to use technology and sites that can help them boost their capabilities in the 21st century. Coincidentally, that happened right before I learned this module, something I am very grateful for. So, I designed a technology-enhanced lesson plan to use with my real class and present on my TEFL class. I found Miro to be particularly helpful in terms of brainstorming or just sharing ideas in general. Its mind map maker is the fastest and simplest way for students to note, organize, and make a network of their ideas. Moreover, thanks to the AI boom, Miro has incorporated GPT-3 into their list of features, which can help students explore ideas they might have missed. Althoug...

 In this module, we learned about oral/aural skills development tools and social bookmarking. In terms of social bookmarking, I tried Diigo and Symbaloo, both of which are recommended by my lecturer. Diigo is a website that not only allows users to bookmark web pages and files but also let users annotate and comment. That seems incredible on paper, but the reality of using it greatly disappointed me. The first hurdle came when I signed up. It did not let me use my email, and did not state the reason why. It took me quite some time to figure out that I had to signed up indirectly through Google. The frustration did not end after I finished setting up the account. Although I could immediately learn how to bookmark websites and import pdf, I could not save annotations and comments in websites even after installing the browser extension. I had to try switching several browsers before ending with Brave browser, where I can save annotations and comments. However, the annotations are publ...

In this module, we had the chance to explore a wide range of search engines and the ABCD Framework to write objectives. Regarding the search engines, I am surprised by the sheer number of options available on the Internet, which resembles the feeling I had in Module 1 when I discovered many blogging sites. However, I quickly realized that even though a search engine is different, it is not practical. The site I chose to experiment with is Ask.com. It is pretty old, and I have heard about it on TikTok. Despite some blogs praising it, the search engine is almost useless. Whenever I try to search for a topic related to ELT, it usually refers to sites about the definition of ELT and unrelated websites about nursing. Then, I tried searching for different topics about history and technology. Once again, it showed unrelated issues, which frustrated me a lot. Another new site I tried is Choosito ( https://www.choosito.com ), a search engine dedicated to teachers. It was even worse than Ask...